Maryland DNR Announces Rollout of Roots to Resilience Initiative

(CAMBRIDGE, Md) – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has announced millions in funding for a federal investment on the Eastern Shore.

Wednesday morning, DNR unveiled their Roots to Resilience Initiative to protect Maryland’s ecosystems. Plans will go to protect everything from the coastlines, to the salt marshes, to the various waterways.

WMDT spoke with DNR Secretary, Josh Kurtz about the plans for the $42 million, federally funded initiative.

That includes the like of living shorelines, building natural resistance to flooding, and protecting countless acres of land, and the wildlife who call the Eastern Shore home

This is going to be a multi-year long plan, with it being an investment in many of the coastal communities. And part of the early stages will be to go to these communities to have an open discussion on these projects.

Kurtz says, “What are the other benefits that these projects create? And what are the communities want to see? And so we’ll be doing a lot of kind of one on one conversations, community meetings…”

And Kurtz adds that they’re hoping over the summer that they can get the ball rolling on some of those community conversations.

One of the projects mentioned during the announcement was roughly $13 million  being allocated to restoring salt marshes by the Maryland Audubon Society.